Behind every successful person stands his social capital i.e. people who had catapulted him to success, people whom he had helped before and whose trust and support he had earned. The stronger your social relationships are and the more people you know – the more opportunities open in front of you, especially when it comes to job search. It is well known that the best job openings are not posted and advertized so it becomes crucially important to network and maximize your social relationships. Read our tips below to get to know how to do it.

On a recent report that came out from The Conference Board, statistics stated U.S. Job Satisfaction at Lowest Level in Two Decades.

The report, based on a survey of 5,000 U.S. households conducted for The Conference Board by TNS, finds only 45 percent of those surveyed say they are satisfied with their jobs, down from 61.1 percent in 1987, the first year in which the survey was conducted. (U.S. Job Satisfaction at Lowest Level in Two Decades)

Those who have knowledge of the large losses that occurred in the 80's, know that a number 61% below what happened is a shocking revelation. What exactly are employers doing to prepare for the backlash, or emotional aspect of workers who are no longer passionately tied to their positions, or company?

I was thinking (hoping , not gonna be shy about it) that I would find myself on the last list that is to come out in October “Top 25 Digital Influencers in Third Party Recruiting” figuring if thee was ever a list for me to be on, that is the one.

So to be included on this one is pretty cool for this one man band of an IT search firm in Minneapolis.

And you thought that college was hard! Looking for a job in the best of times is difficult, even if you have experience. Looking for a job during the "Great Recession" (as they seem to be calling it) when you are fresh out of college is brutal. But this is a character building exercise as well, and if you can endure during difficult times everything else will be easy.

I met with a client recently who had such poise and determination to move forward into her next career. She explained away the Fortune 500’s she had worked for and delicately took out her resume, (on beautiful, thick paper and placed it in front of me. She explained, “I paid a company $400 for this resume.”

I knew what would happen next, (which is what always happens when people pay mega bucks for a company that has no idea WHO they are create a resume stating they are corporate gods.)

Part of being a career consultant and coach is that my emotions must never get the better of me, (when consoling someone, or in wide-eyed confusion over a single sheet of paper.) This resume was an abomination to all resumes. If it was the end of the world and she had to fit everything on one sheet of paper or die, I might have understood the tactic.

A couple of weeks ago after having attended quite a few networking and educational events I had some observations about networking (both my experience and watching others) and did a brain dump on Twitter through @MNHeadhunter

This will be a longer blog post in the future but many folks have requested what posted that day so here goes (reverse order):

Networking 101 BONUS: Dating, finding a doctor/attorney/place to live, where to shop, find a good movie. This is networking

In a reply to someone: There is no crying in baseball and no "rules" to networking. Be Nike, just do it

Networking 101: Networking is not about what you need or want. It is about how you can help others

Networking 101: Not reaching out is "fine" when you have a job you like, all the sales you need. How often is that?

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About & Connect

Welcome to the Minnesota Headhunter Blog. My name is Paul DeBettignies (pronounced De-Bett-ingz). I started writing in 2005 to share thoughts and ideas I had as an IT recruiter.

Since then I expanded this site to include MN IT and Recruiter Jobs, links to Minnesota business news and promote the local tech community.

I am the Principal of Minnesota Headhunter, LLC. I am an Evangelist and Advisor who builds teams with startups and tech companies, creates recruiting strategies for Fortune 500 clients and a frequent local and national speaker and article contributor on recruiter, HR, career, networking and social media topics.